The Kankan-Kourémalé-Bamako transnational intercity highway is the single point of entry and exit between Conakry and Bamako. And since the work financed by African Development Bank (9 billion francs CFA) concluded in December 31, 2013, the new road has revolutionized the daily lives of thousands of people, including residents of the 9th district of Commune IV, in the western suburbs of Malian capital Bamako.

Thanks to this highway, which has seen its traffic increase while achieving greater safety (with the installation of barriers and footbridges), ever more potential customers are flocking to traders' stalls, whose turnover is seeing the result: they are all delighted to be making more money.

But some stalls are also staying open later into the evening thanks to the lighting systems that have been installed as part of the works to renovate the road. This also reassures many people, like Djenebou Diakité, who runs a vegetable stall and is no longer afraid to stay in the market late in the evening now that his stall is no longer plunged into darkness. And this is how electricity has curbed crime, nearby residents say.

They are overjoyed at the impact of the new road: more traffic but fewer accidents for road users and residents, better traffic flow, more businesses and booming economic activity, new building developments, better sanitation and cleanliness, local people involved in the project, and that is just in its immediate vicinity. Even the Bamako city centre has been transformed, thanks to this new road.